This souvenir coffee mug belonged to a member of the 51st Fighter Wing during the Korean War era.

The mug is marked to "Smilin Jack" a member of the "JATO Shop". Jet Assisted Take Offs were common in this era. Rockets were used to assist heavy jets during short strip take offs. I love the cartoon character riding the rocket while using a lighter to ignite!

The other side of the mug has the "diary" information showing this particular members service was 1949- 1951. The Wing served in Okinawa, Korea and Japan.

During the Korean War, the 51st flew the F-80 "Shooting Star" as well as the F-86 "Sabre".

The 51st had a very impressive Korean War record. It's pilots flew over 45,000 sorties and destroyed 312 MIG-15s. In addition, the famous jet ace Joseph McConnell (16 aerial kills) as well as 13 other aces served in the 51st.

Reproduction of these images in any form is not authorized.

scott

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Comments

blunderbuss2, 2 years agoKept up a Beech 18 that had JATO's mounted in the rear of the nacelles. This was in the 60's. During an inspection, we found that the JATO expiration date had been reached. You don't just throw them in the trash & disposal was expensive. After abandoning the idea of 2 rockets, the pilot decided to just fire them on T.O.. That old Beech sure took off but repainting the wings was more expensive than the disposal!